Hi everyone, I am wondering what most folks do in the winter in the south. I live in Columbia, Sc and have always kept my pool open during the winter. It has caused me to worry on more than one winter! I usually wrap the filter and pump with insulation of some sort along with blankets and waterproof covering. Last year i used home insulation for the first time. Maybe there is a nice insulation blanket for the filter( like a horse blanket!) that i am unaware of?? it is all very ugly for sure!! I leave it on 24/7 when it is freezing. Tied to the pool at that time ! I do not have a pool cover. My pool is inground vinyl 40 x 20. 11,500 gallons two returns. I do have a new robot to clean the pool without running the skimmer!! Life saver this summer!! How does closing affect a vinyl liner? Is a cover a must in this case? Thought of closing is new to me, but it might be less winter stress, if we have a bad winter!! Anyway, what are most of you doing who live in my area?? Would love to hear your plans!!
pool close or open in SC?
- Thread starter becky-jo
- Start date
Closing a pool does not affect the liner. Given the temperatures really do not drop for an extended period of time, you can even close the returns with black winter plugs, skimmers with Gizzmo's and just use RV or Pool Antifreeze in the lines, and not even clear the lines of water. The main drain is so far down that I do not believe you will have an issue.
How many days on average does it fall below 32* and approximately how many times?
How many days on average does it fall below 32* and approximately how many times?
I'm also in the Cola SC area. We do not close our pool. Our timer has a temperature control that kicks the pump on when the temperature drops into the mid 30's. It really doesn't happen too often. I've never insulated the exposed pipes. As long as it is circulating, I've never worried.
With our house in Lexington we were lucky, our pump/equipment was in a "walk-in" crawlspace which stayed fairly warm under the house. But other friends who have pools do not winterize, they just pull the SWCG and run the pump when it get's cold.
JodieM
Silver Supporter
- Jul 18, 2013
- 556
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Truclear / Ei
Never closed our Augusta GA pool. Turned off the SWG and just set our timers to circulate the pool from midnight to 6 am in case a night temp fell around 32 degrees or lower. Never used a cover, and just kept a little chlorine in the pool 1-3 ppm as there were plenty of sunny warm days throughout the winter in Augusta. Water temp probably never got above the 60’s in the winter, but kept a little FC to be on the safe side. Never had any algae and usually “closed” the pool in November and “opened” it Easter weekend every year.
I'm in the Augusta area and I gotta tell ya....after last years cold I was seriously *considering* closing the pool. We have never done so before, but it really, REALLY got cold. Thankfully The Old Farmers Almanac calls for a warm winter this year. Take that with a grain of salt of course!
We always cover the pump and equipment with moving blankets and a waterproof tarp and run the pump overnight on during freezes. I have never had Skippy remove the SWG even though it isn't turned on.
Maddie
We always cover the pump and equipment with moving blankets and a waterproof tarp and run the pump overnight on during freezes. I have never had Skippy remove the SWG even though it isn't turned on.
Maddie
Thank-you everyone for responding! The past couple of years I have thought about getting a timer with temp control. I think I will go forward with that. I am tired of being the control!!, or leaving it on always because I won't be home. Maddie, Last year was really questionable, hence why I was asking everyone! ha Love the idea of moving blankets and tarp. I also read warm winter in Farmers Almanac, and am hoping that will come true!! Thanks again ya'll Becky-jo
One more thing I forgot to mention is that Skippy puts a hanging auto type light under the blankets/tarp for a small amount of heat it produces. It just stays on in the cold.
Maddie
Maddie